Category: College Football (Page 250 of 296)

Thanks in large part to quarterback Matt Flynn’s three touchdown passes and another stifling performance by their defense, LSU soundly defeated Ohio State 38-24 in Monday night’s BCS National Championship Game.

The Tigers didn’t give the Buckeyes different looks or rely on secret magic that only a SEC team possesses. They just lined up and took it to the Buckeyes for 55 minutes (the first five minutes were dominated by OSU). It also helped that LSU limited mistakes and capitalized on the Buckeyes’ miscues. OSU’s defense didn’t help matters by putting on a horrible tackling performance, either.

Somewhere, some writer has already written how the SEC is a more dominating conference than the Big Ten because its players are faster, they’re more physical or that their cheerleaders are better looking. It’s not true. Forget the conferences – LSU was just better and made less mistakes, both mentally and physically.

Well the bowl season concludes tonight with the BCS National Championship Game. After the past couple of weeks, I’m just praying for a decent bowl game. I watched the Tulsa-Bowling Green game last night (Tulsa won 63-7 by the way) and I don’t want college football to wind down the season with another freaking blowout.

Succumbing to all the pre-game hype, here are a couple of feature articles from various Internet sites about the game: ESPN.com gives 10 reasons why each team could win tonight…FOX Sports.com breaks down the position matchups…Cory McCartney of SI.com gives five reasons why OSU will win…The USA Today writes about what all-purpose player Jacob Hester means to LSU…MSNBC.com chronicles how different Tigers’ head coach Les Miles is from Buckeyes’ head man Jim Tressel…And some nobody chooses LSU to win 20-13…

The BCS title game is Monday night and what would crowning a mythical national champion be without first doing some meaningless predictions?

In my BCS Bowl Preview for Bullz-Eye.com, I predicted LSU to beat Ohio State 20-13. Even though I’m currently riding a 1-3 prediction record for BCS bowl games so far, I might as well stick with LSU.

Anybody else feel like prognosticating?

SPORTSbyBROOKS.com (via the Detroit Free Press) spotted an interesting article in the Fairmont Times-West Virginian, in which the mother of former West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez wrote a former letter urging Mountaineer fans to stop slamming her son for accepting the Michigan job.

In a letter written to the FAIRMONT TIMES-WEST VIRGINIAN, Rich’s mother explains that his decision to leave was a difficult one, but he had to do “what he felt necessary for his career.”

Arleen also sadly noted, “We as a family will especially miss the fun times of all being together every football game Saturday.”

But Mrs. R isn’t so solemn when it comes to attacks on her kin: “We have found it especially difficult to understand or explain the actions of a few of our West Virginians. It was deplorable that our family, especially the children, have been threatened and property damaged.”

(What does she expect from folks that like to torch a couch now and then?)

Now, I love my mother with all my heart. But I don’t know how keen I’d be on the idea of her writing a letter to a newspaper asking people not to pick on me. This has to be a little embarrassing for Rich Rod.

With all due respect to Ohio State’s Malcolm Jenkins, Troy’s Elbert Mack and South Florida’s Mike Jenkins, junior Aqib Talib of Kansas provided another example in Thursday night’s Orange Bowl that he might be the best cornerback in college football.

In the first quarter of the Jayhawks’ 24-21 upset of Virginia Tech, Talib read Hokie quarterback Sean Glennon like a book, jumped an out route and took an interception 60 yards to the house. Fifty-three other defensive backs hauled in more interceptions this season, but Talib might have the most polished skills of any corner in college football. It’ll be interesting to see if he enters the draft this year.

As far as the game went, KU was awfully impressive. VA Tech has one of the best defenses in the nation, but the Jayhawks moved the ball down the field methodically on several occasions. The Hokies just couldn’t get anything going offensively, but in typical Frank Beamer-fashion, they did run a punt back for a touchdown. Beamer’s special teams units are top notch every season.